Hop tea for beer kit - boil or not? Hops or pellets?

[winelight]

OK by reading the many threads on the subject I understand one way to add additional hoppy aromas to a beer kit is to steep hops in a cafetiere while doing the other stuff and then chucking it in before the yeast.

However am I right in thinking I won't get any extra bitterness unless I actually boil the hops for a period (30-60 minutes) first?

Also should I use hops or hop pellets? Any difference in ease of use / cost / aroma / flavour / bitterness?

 

[rpt]

Yes, bitterness only comes from boiling.

 

[wilsoa1111]

hop pellets are basically the same, maybe a bit more surface area so bitter faster in the boil which as stated will make no differnce to ur hop tea, they are also more expensive. i use leaf hops. hop teas are also particulary good at the end of the brew before bottling/kegging . if u dont want to footer with hop tea, hops can also be added to the fermentor after the vigerous ferment is over while the brew is finishing up (should give a good incentive to leave the brew the 7 days to finish :) )- this is dry hopping, some people do both as they can arguabley give different results for some hops... welcome to the fun world of brewing where there are few wrong answers

 

[winelight]

Thanks - sounds easy enough, I can put the tea on to boil while the can warms up and I sterilise the FV.